About Donkey’s Days Out

As locals will know, Guernsey people are known as Donkeys. There are 2 theories as to why this nickname came about: 1 – locals, a.k.a. “Guerns” are known for their stubborn streak, a characteristic shared with the donkey or; 2 – that we’re named after the donkeys that were popularly used for transport back in the days before proper roads, when it took a couple of days to travel a few miles cross country, say from town to St. Saviour’s. Either way our Jersey rivals called us Donkeys – but then we nicknamed them Crappauds (Toads), so I think we more than got our own back!

I was born in Guernsey and I’m proud to count myself as a Donkey – these are my days out and I’d like to share them with you.

Caryn Byrne

Guernsey

The Bailiwick of Guernsey is part of the Channel Islands, which sits in the Bay of St. Malo, approx 30 miles from the coast of north-west France, and 70 miles from the south coast of England. It comprises of Guernsey, with a population of around 65,000, and the smaller islands of Alderney, Sark, Breqhou, Lihou, Herm and Jethou.

Guernsey is roughly triangular and covers an area of just over 24 square miles. The island is divided into 10 parishes.

The Bailiwick is part of the British Isles, but not part of the United Kingdom. The Lieutenant Governor is Her Majesty’s personal representative and official channel of communication between the Crown, the UK Government and the Bailiwick. The current Lieutenant Governor is Air Marshall Peter Walker.

The islands generally enjoy a milder climate than the UK, being warmed by the adjacent Gulf Stream. In 2011, there was 1,864 hours of sunshine. September was the warmest month of 2011 with an average temperature of 16.2C.